Sanchez calls 'Go Texans' Metro marquees inappropriate

County treasurer says sport teams shouldn't get free ads on buses

By Kiah Collier

October 21, 2013Updated: October 22, 2013 4:04pm

Photo: hand in photo

Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez

Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez

It's nothing personal against the Houston Texans, the Astros, Rockets or Dynamo. Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez just wants Metro to stop picking winners and losers with its digital bus marquees.

This spring, after Sanchez raised concerns, the Metro board of directors adopted a policy with pre-approved messages for display on the destination signs on the fronts and sides of its buses, including ones covering five "major" local sporting teams. Some of the messages, such as "Happy Holidays," are appropriate, Sanchez said, but others, such as "Go Texans," are not.

"We have great athletic teams, there's a lot of great things in this city, but it's troubling when an appointed, non-answerable board of directors of a publicly funded institution like Metro gets to pick and choose what corporations get to have their name placed on our infrastructure," Sanchez said, noting that he has only seen the "Go Texans" message.

The complaint is similar to one Sanchez had a few years ago when the back halves of some Houston Police Department patrol cars were made to look like Yellow Cab taxis for what was supposed to be a public service announcement to deter drunken driving. The so-called wraps included the local Yellow Cab phone number.

That inspired the former Houston city councilman and unsuccessful mayoral candidate, who said he plans to seek a third term as treasurer next year, to submit an inquiry to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which sided with him and - in an April 2011 letter - thanked him for his "efforts to prevent government waste, fraud and abuse."

On Sept. 30, the day before the government shutdown began, Sanchez sent a letter to the federal government again, asking "whether the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas is misusing federal transit dollars by using the marquee on the front of buses to promote a private sector enterprise, namely: the Houston Texans, an NFL team?"

Sanchez is hoping for another favorable conclusion, and also has requested an opinion from the Harris County Attorney.

Metro officials say they simply are trying to promote community spirit and are "puzzled" by Sanchez's concerns.

"It would seem to me that the Harris County Attorney's office just has higher priorities," said Metro board Chairman Gilbert Garcia, who noted that most of the stadiums where the teams play were built with some tax dollars. "I would hope that they would see the spirit of what we're doing here."

Metro interim President and CEO Tom Lambert said, "This is something Metro has done for many, many years."

Related

Free promotional messages on city buses in support of hometown sports teams, in Texas and other states, is not uncommon.

Via Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio displays "Go Spurs Go" on its bus destination signs when the Alamo City's lone professional sports team makes the playoffs, said Andy Scheidt, as well as "Go Roadrunners" on game days for the University of Texas at San Antonio's new football team.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit, however, does not display any kind of messages on its bus destination signs, a spokesman said, and has had only paid advertising agreements with the Dallas Stars and Mavericks for display on trains.

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Asked about the commonality of the practice, Sanchez, who also has run unsuccessfully for the Texas House, said, "They're wrong."

"Government should never pick and choose what private enterprise they want to promote," he said.